Leadership Environment

Leadership is defined as the act of influencing people in order to achieve a result. The leadership environment is made up of those critical elements that a successful leader considers in planning for effective action.

The first element is you, the leader, who is ultimately responsible for all action and results.

The second element is your people, those that you are responsible for.

The third element, the situation, is comprised of the many unique variables that influence a leader’s decisions such as objectives, conditions, resources available, organizational influences, and others affected by the action.

The last element is the consequences—the short- and long-term effects of your actions.

The one predictable factor of the leadership environment is that any or all of the elements will change. A leader’s sphere of influence varies with any situation. Each person on every team is unique in behavior and personality; their motivations differ and change over time. The situation, be it the weather or the political context, changes. Missions always have different levels of risk.

Leaders constantly assess the elements of the leadership environment and adapt accordingly. Successful leaders understand the interplay of these variables and demonstrate flexibility in selecting appropriate leadership tools and techniques as a situation changes.

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